Multiple Personalitiy PCs

[AirGuitarGod32]

I want to start my first true DMing experience. However, one of my players wants to have a character with two distinctly different personalities.

1. Would the player have "two" separete characters or one single character
2. If one, would he have two alignments, since the character can either be Noble, honest, heroic, brave, ect. (LG) and vindictive, sleazy, cruel, violent, liar, ect. (CE) or would he be TN, since he exibits both traits.
3. And if 1, could the two personalities have two different sets of classes? (ie: The Good Guy is a Paladin wereas the Bad Guy is say a Dread Necromancer)

[jiriku]

All of the above! Maybe he can build the character according to the gestalt rules, but only use one side of his gestalt at a time, depending on what personality is in control.

[Prime32]

I would suggest either a changeling factotum/incarnate/chameleon (can do just about anything, but not at the same time) or a Fiend of Possession cohort that takes over from time to time.

[Mando Knight]

He could have two different alignments, but I would not allow them to have two different sets of classes. The latter is too cheesy. Furthermore, I wouldn't allow a split-personality character to take an alignment-restricted class unless all personalities are of an appropriate alignment, as another part of the character's mind would actively resist the doctrines of that class.

[Noble Savant]

A Chameleon or a Master of Masks would be ideal for this. It would let him emulate a different class each time he switched personalities.

If he doesn't want to use prestige classes, try to find a common denominator between the two classes he wants. A Paladin/Dread Necromancer is easily mimicked by a cleric. When in Paladin mode he can buff himself up and wade into combat, occasionally tossing some holy magic around. When in Dread Necro mode you prepare Necromancy spells. Problem solved.

It's only fluff in that case, and if the player complains ask him what Paladin order would really accept a person who is pure evil half the time.

In regards to your other questions, I would not let the player make any changes to his physical stats between the two personalities. I might allow mental switches, but be careful that the player doesn't abuse it.

As for alignment, just have him register as whatever the alignment of his current personality is.

[SartheKobold]

It depends on the power level of your campaign, really. I'm inclined to give him two character sheets with the only caveat that they have the same name, race and physical ability scores. I'd even let him have different mental scores if he wants to min-max them...

But make sure he roleplays it well, and not just when he feels like switching. Maybe an opposed roll between alters each morning, or have them constantly struggle for control...

And anyone who detects thoughts gets nothing but bickering and arguing from the two if they're diametriclly opposed...

[Amphetryon]

Nobody's mentioned the Synad yet? A Synad Master of Masks would be all over this.

[Glass Mouse]

But make sure he roleplays it well, and not just when he feels like switching. Maybe an opposed roll between alters each morning, or have them constantly struggle for control...

This. Of course, I don't know anything about the guy, and he may be an amazing roleplayer, but... I'd have the switches happen at random.
Alternatively via some mechanics? Like, switch every time he sleeps / is unconscious (we had a guy in my party who did this, and it worked rather well).
Don't let him control it at whim, especially if the two personalities are mechanically different. Too convenient.

To the alignment question... It'd depend on the reason? Is it true MPD, is he possesed, or something else entirely? If possesed, it'd definitely be two different alignments. If not, well, you could go all from "insanity is always Chaotic!" to whatever you feel like, as long as you're in agreement.

Really, it'd all depend on the player. What does he feel like playing? If his premise is too powerful (like paladin/dread necromancer at whim), you can always talk your way to stumping it.

[SartheKobold]

This. Of course, I don't know anything about the guy, and he may be an amazing roleplayer, but... I'd have the switches happen at random.
Alternatively via some mechanics? Like, switch every time he sleeps / is unconscious (we had a guy in my party who did this, and it worked rather well).
Don't let him control it at whim, especially if the two personalities are mechanically different. Too convenient.

To the alignment question... It'd depend on the reason? Is it true MPD, is he possesed, or something else entirely? If possesed, it'd definitely be two different alignments. If not, well, you could go all from "insanity is always Chaotic!" to whatever you feel like, as long as you're in agreement.

Really, it'd all depend on the player. What does he feel like playing? If his premise is too powerful (like paladin/dread necromancer at whim), you can always talk your way to stumping it.

Is Paladin/Dread Necromancer really that powerful? He can't access both at the same time, and it wouldn't be a stretch to say that things like controlled undead or the Paladin's mount wouldn't listen to the other half. He doesn't even get around an action defecit... And come to think of it, in most MPD/DID cases, the Alters have different names and sometimes even memories... There's total justification to have two sets of xp...
Things get a bit blurry with feats, though...

[Grushvak]

I have to second the proposition of deciding yourself when the changes occur, or establishing strict guidelines that dictate when and how a personnality takes over.

If he complains about this, then he's just looking for a way to play two characters for the price of one.

[AirGuitarGod32]

I like Jikuru's idea. A "Split Gestalt" would be fun, and amusing.

[Rhiannon87]

Work out a system with the player as to how "switches" will happen. If he's a solid roleplayer and you trust him, he could have "triggers"-- one personality is dominant, but when he's stressed or threatened, the other takes over. My cursory, second-hand knowledge of psychology says that MPD usually happens due to a horribly traumatic event (or events) that lead to one part of the personality splitting off in order to cope. So if something happens that recreates or feels similar to the original event, the new personality will come out as a defense mechanism.

Don't allow him different classes, though. One class, and he emphasizes different parts depending on personality. I actually think rogue would work pretty well for this-- one personality can be a friendly skillmonkey, while the other is a more dedicated combatant. The personalities could (and probably should) have different alignments, but they don't need to be diametrically opposed. One interesting possibility is to have the "newer" personality be very protective of the main one, coming out only when the main one is threatened.

Were it not for the guy getting his doctorate in psychology in my group I might try something like this, but MPD is very controversial within the psychology community, and thus I dare not touch it with an eleven-foot-pole.

[erikun]

I've actually considered running a character like this. My idea was a Bard//Sorcerer who only has access to the abilities of one side of the gestalt at a time. And yes, there would be coin-flipping each day to determine which personality is in charge.

My biggest concern is the differring alignments. Having one half Good and the other half Evil makes my DM-senses tingle. It's like the CN who kills random people and then says, "You can't kill me because I'm not evil!" On the other hand, somewhat similar personalities (CG/CN) or two different sides of a similar alignment (LG/CG) would make more sense. Of course, there is nothing wrong with two personalities having the same alignment, either.

[SartheKobold]

Work out a system with the player as to how "switches" will happen. If he's a solid roleplayer and you trust him, he could have "triggers"-- one personality is dominant, but when he's stressed or threatened, the other takes over. My cursory, second-hand knowledge of psychology says that MPD usually happens due to a horribly traumatic event (or events) that lead to one part of the personality splitting off in order to cope. So if something happens that recreates or feels similar to the original event, the new personality will come out as a defense mechanism.

Don't allow him different classes, though. One class, and he emphasizes different parts depending on personality. I actually think rogue would work pretty well for this-- one personality can be a friendly skillmonkey, while the other is a more dedicated combatant. The personalities could (and probably should) have different alignments, but they don't need to be diametrically opposed. One interesting possibility is to have the "newer" personality be very protective of the main one, coming out only when the main one is threatened.

Were it not for the guy getting his doctorate in psychology in my group I might try something like this, but MPD is very controversial within the psychology community, and thus I dare not touch it with an eleven-foot-pole.

There's also evidence of it surfaceing if a child doesn't form a single sense of self during their formative years. My girlfriend has some experience with it, and from what she says, the different 'alters' really do have different skill sets, so two classes wouldn't be out of the question. And it'd be more interesting that way, regardless, so Rule of Cool trumps scientific accuracy...

[Devils_Advocate]

I want to start my first true DMing experience. However, one of my players wants to have a character with two distinctly different personalities.
What a truly original concept for a roleplaying character, DA replied sarcastically! He'll be sure to be extra interesting because he's not only qualitatively different from a normal person, but different in a way that lets you pack in almost twice as much total personal detail! And repeatedly switching between two very different modes will certainly make him less boring. Gosh, how very clever!

... I'm just kidding, really. I don't think it's necessarily a bad idea, there's just something amusing about how cliche it is.


1. Would the player have "two" separete characters or one single character
The philosophical question of what (if anything!) constitutes personal identity is more than a little bit tricky! Suffice to say that it all comes down to where one chooses to draw certain lines.

For some game-mechanical purposes, it might matter whether he has two souls. Having multiple souls seems like it the most plausible cause of multiple personalities in D&D, frankly.


2. If one, would he have two alignments, since the character can either be Noble, honest, heroic, brave, ect. (LG) and vindictive, sleazy, cruel, violent, liar, ect. (CE) or would he be TN, since he exibits both traits.
Characters can change alignment by changing personality. A normal character doesn't switch between opposite alignments on a routine basis because a psychologically normal person doesn't change in personality nearly frequently enough or quickly enough to cause that. This is not a normal character.

Of course, if he does have two souls that both stick with his body, he might be treated as Lawful, Chaotic, Good, and Evil all at once. You know, like one o' them succubus paladins.


3. And if 1, could the two personalities have two different sets of classes? (ie: The Good Guy is a Paladin wereas the Bad Guy is say a Dread Necromancer)
In theory. You could build two different characters who just have the same race, Str, Con, Dex, and equipment. There are a few things that would be odd to switch out, like hit points and Fort saves, but, well, that's how Mind Switch (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/powers/mindSwitch.htm) works. Increases and decreases to stats should probably stay with the body, even if the stats change. So switching to the lower-HP character could kill him, which again isn't that much weirder than something that's already part of the system (Barbarians dying from lost HP by ending a rage).

By all rights they should level separately, which itself might be enough to balance letting the player switch whenever he wants. (I'm talking only about balance, there, though. Whether his choices of when to switch are good roleplaying is something else again.)

[Optimystik]

Nobody's mentioned the Synad yet? A Synad Master of Masks would be all over this.

Sadly, a lot of people are unaware of them, since finding them requires flipping through the pile of crud that is Complete Psionic.

It's a shame, because I like them even more than Elans.

[Ianuagonde]

I tried it once with a LG dwarf. Two characters sheets, same stats, different levels and skills. Each morning I'd flip a coin to see if she would be the fighter ("Just call me Ian, it's shorter in battle") or wizard ("'how many times do I have to tell you, my name is Ianuagonde"). The other playes never figured it out, even though the use of armor and weapons were a big clue. The DM and me also agreed that a bump on the head also switched the personalities. So every once in a while, the combat would be described as "you block his sword with your shield, but he recovers fast and hits you on the head with the pommel. Take 5 damage".

If the player can play nice, just do it. Its a nice way of roleplaying, and the other players will have lots of fun trying to figure out what's happening. If the point of all this is cheesing out, don't do it.

EDIT: The name Ianuagonde means warrior with two faces. No player knew this.
Also, at some point the personalities merged after a Very Traumatic Thing. She became fighter 2/wizard X.

[thubby]

if this is your first try i would be inclined to shoot it down. it can be done, but the extra work won't do you any good. just explain you're not comfortable enough with DMing to deal with it.

if you decide to do it anyway, i would go with one class with 2 alignments, and maybe separate skills. if they choose a caster, i would have 1 set of spells known (if applicable), but each personality should have a different taste in spells they prepare.

[SpikeFightwicky]

So how does experience work in this case? In the case of a Paladin/Dread Necro, how would adventuring whilst a Paladin help them grow in power as a dread necro, and how would casting dread necro spells help improve a paladin's martial capabilities? I'm probably just overthinking things, though.